When the deal for Brandon Moss first started to break almost a week ago the IBI's Jeff Ellis half joked that most of the fans would hate the deal for a myriad of reasons: he is hurt, he has a low average and he isn’t a right-handed bat. Even when it is clearly an excellent addition at a low price, some people don't like it. In his latest, he does his best to convince some of the naysayers that he is a good fit with little given up to acquire him.

The Winter Meetings are underway and the Hot Stove is heating up! In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on a trade that would bring Jeff Samardzija to the A.L. Central, the sweepstakes for Jon Lester is heading towards a close, the Cubs discussing a trade for Miguel Montero, and more.

Day one of the 2014 Winter Meetings in San Diego is almost in the books, but the big news of the day has come out of Oakland and Cleveland as they finally put the finishing touches on the Brandon Moss deal. The IBI's Tony Lastoria takes a deep look at Moss looking at his power, defense, injury, roster fit and much more, plus he gives other thoughts on who might go now that Moss has been added. He also provides all the Indians related rumors from the day...

As the Winter Meetings get cranked up today, the Indians sit in a good spot as an organization. Like every team they have holes on the roster they would like to fill and they will explore with tinkering with their roster, but the IBI's Tony Lastoria notes that they have a lot of roster flexibility and control that puts them in a good spot this offseason. He also breaks down the incredible amount of depth they have created, runs down the list of notable Winter Meetings moments in the past for the Indians and more.

The rumors continued on Friday about the Indians and Brandon Moss. Will something finally get done? In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on Kevin Cash being named the manager of the Rays, the Yankees inked a key bullpen arm and found their replacement for Derek Jeter, a team that's showing interest in Melky Cabrera, and more.

The Indians may be on the verge of adding a big bat to the lineup as reports have circulated the past 48 hours that the Indians and Athletics have talked about a potential trade for Brandon Moss. After dealing Josh Donaldson last week, the next chip that the Athletics are flaunting is Moss. The Indians have built a good amount of depth in their farm system that could be used to make a deal like this happen and the IBI's Anthony Kaylor looks at whether he really is a good fit for the Indians.

Happy Friday! In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on the two remaining managerial candidates for the Rays, the Indians are close to a deal for Brandon Moss, an offer on the table for Chase Headley, and more.

Word got out to the masses on Wednesday that the Indians and Athletics are talking about a potential Brandon Moss trade. This is a move that the IBI's Jeff Ellis has been talking about for weeks among the IBI offices and he cannot contain his level of excitement about a potential deal. He explains why such a deal would be one to embrace, how he can help the Indians, how he would fit and what it may take to acquire him.

It’s been a very quiet offseason for the Indians so far which is not surprising considering the reality of their financial restrictions. The good news is their most notable free agent is 43-year old Jason Giambi, so they are returning a talented core of players and even if they don't make a move this offseason will have a good team next year. Over the past few days the Indians have come up in several different rumors and the IBI's Graydon Fox opines on some of the players the Indians have been linked to.

It was a busy news days on Wednesday as the Braves inked Nick Markakis and Jim Johnson to deals, Luke Hochevar resigned with the Royals and the Mariners and Blue Jays completed an interesting trade swapping Michael Saunders for J.A. Happ. But the big news of the day for Indians fans was the rumor that surfaced about the Indians and Athletics talking about a Brandon Moss trade. The IBI's Tony Lastoria recaps all the news and notes from the day...

Reports surfaced on Tuesday that Wilin Rosario is available in a trade and Chris Heisey had been traded to the Dodgers. These smaller bits of news may have completely missed the radar of most fans, but to the IBI's Jeff Ellis he believe the news is something that could have an effect on the Indians. These are two new options on the marketplace he believes could help improve the Indians roster and he explains why in his latest.

There has been no shortage of speculation this offseason on the availability of Boston Red Sox outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, both in the national media and on this site. But as of right now, it does not appear Cleveland and Boston line up as trade partners. Last week, Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron proposed a three-team trade involving the Mariners to move Cespedes, but as Jim Piascik writes, a three-team trade involving Cleveland instead of Seattle could lead Cespedes to the corner of Carnegie and Ontario instead.

December already! Where does the time go? In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on Nelson Cruz heading to Seattle, two teams in "serious" pursuit of Andrew Miller, Bryce Harper heading towards a grievance, and more.

As many saw on Friday, the Athletics dealt Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays and like a lot of Indians fans, the IBI's Tony Lastoria came away less than impressed with the haul the Athletics got in return for Donaldson and was disappointed the Indians were not in on the action to land him. While Tony believes Donaldson was the perfect fit for the Indians, he wonders if the Indians were even a perfect fit with the Athletics. He also talks about the rebirth of Nick Hagadone and the Indians strength in left-handed relief options, the problems big spending can create and more.

As the 2014/2015 offseason continues one item the Indians could look to add is a veteran starting pitcher to stabilize the starting rotation. This of course would mean one of their current starters is used in a trade to fill a need elsewhere on the roster. The IBI's Kevin Sledz looks at some options the Indians could turn to in free agency or with a trade to fill a rotation need if one of their current starters departs in a trade.

The Browns play in Buffalo this afternoon! Will they keep their playoff hopes alive? In this MLB News and Notes segment, the IBI's Andrew Zajac will be giving occasional reports on the latest news and rumors throughout the MLB. Today's piece focuses on the possibility of Jeff Samardzija becoming a member of the Chicago White Sox, what the Athletics could do to fill their need at shortstop, a possible trade partner with the Indians, and more.

This past week in Major League Baseball we have seen some big signings with Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez and Adam LaRoche going to new teams. Also, there is lots of trade buzz around the league, and one that is particularly interesting to the IBI's Sam Camp is Justin Upton. He talks about how he would like to see the Indians acquire Upton and fortify the middle of their lineup.

So far in his offseason series, the IBIs Hayden Grove has concentrated on keeping things within the Indians organization. All of the necessary steps he has outlined for the Indians to make a run at the 2015 World Series have involved players currently under contract with the Indians in one way or another. But all of that changes in today's piece as he shifts his focus toward a few players outside the organization which he things can help them next season.

An often repeated phrase surrounding Cleveland baseball over the past two decades regards how poor the organization has fared in the draft. But exactly how bad has Cleveland been? And how do they stack up against the rest of baseball? Join Jim Piascik as he continues his series of analyzing Cleveland’s draft history with the 2002 draft, another surprisingly decent draft class that was messed up down the road, not on the day of the draft itself.

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!